Criminal Defense and Civil Forfeiture Blog

Published on: January 14, 2021

Authorities Seized Almost $1 Million and Expensive Jewelry from Texas Jeweler Using Civil Forfeiture

by Brian Silber

Dallas, TX

Small business owners who deal in large cash transactions have to be very careful about who they do business with. Some of their customers could be criminals trying to launder illegal proceeds, and if an unsuspecting business owner fails to report suspicious activity, federal agents may come knocking.

This was the scenario “celebrity jeweler” Zameer Lokhandwala, 46, of Frisco, TX, recently found himself in. The jeweler, whose client roster reportedly includes current and former Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks as well as famous rappers, is required to justify certain business transactions in order to convince the government he isn’t in league with alleged drug dealers.

Published on: January 12, 2021

Hundreds of Animals Forfeited in Alleged Puppy Mill Case in Michigan

by Brian Silber

Hundreds of animals have been forfeited from a Michigan woman accused of abusing and neglecting them in an alleged puppy mill she was running on her property.

Rebecca Sue Johnson of Maple Ridge Township faces felony charges for abandoning/cruelty to 25 or more animals, which is punishable by up to seven years in prison. She also faces a misdemeanor charge for running an unregistered animal shelter. Johnson was released from jail after posting a $60,000 surety bond.

Published on: January 11, 2021

New Jersey Receives ‘D-’ Grade for Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws in Recent Report

by Brian Silber

New Jersey received a near-failing grade for its civil asset forfeiture laws in a new report by a public interest law firm that examines how every state in the U.S. addresses civil forfeiture.

The Institute for Justice recently published the third edition of its “Policing for Profit” report, a document that analyses civil forfeiture policies across the US and gives each state a scorecard based on how favorable its laws are for property owners.

Published on: January 8, 2021

Northern Ohio Collected More Than $40 Million Via Criminal, Civil, and Asset Forfeiture in 2020

by Brian Silber

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced this week that it collected over $40 million in criminal, civil, and asset forfeiture actions for the 2020 fiscal year.

U.S. Attorney Justin Herman confirmed that his office collected $28,603,085 in civil and criminal actions in the fiscal year 2020. Of that amount, approximately $21 million was collected from civil actions, and almost $7 million was collected from criminal actions.

Published on: January 7, 2021

New Mexico Receives ‘A’ Grade for Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws in New Report

by Brian Silber

New Mexico is the only state to receive an ‘A’ grade for its civil asset forfeiture laws in a new report by a Virginia-based public interest law firm.

In the third edition of its “Policing for Profit” report, the Institute for Justice takes a look at every state’s civil asset forfeiture laws and the amount of forfeiture proceeds collected since 2000, based on publicly available information.

Civil asset forfeiture is a legal process that allows law enforcement agencies to seize property they suspect is linked to criminal activity, sometimes even without charging the property owner with a crime. It is different from criminal forfeiture, which requires prosecutors to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that an owner is guilty of a crime and that the property is connected to the case.